The next glass ceiling? An atheist United States President.
(Well, probably not in my lifetime.)

The reception of Barack Obama and his victory speech in
Chicago last night was extraordinary and uplifting. Jesus' Second
Coming is going to have to work to top that. (He'll need a good
campaign manager.) Obama will have some difficulty in living up to the
expectation and adulation, but he will handle it, I am sure, with the
same level-headedness and aplomb that has been one of his trademarks.
He may have no miracles in his arsenal, but the American people will
settle for integrity, and they can say goodbye to eight years of
disaster and dishonor by George W. Bush and his evangelical cadre.
(When you have integrity on your side, all things are possible; when
you have God on your side, all things are permissible.) The Supreme
Court has dodged a bullet that threatened to turn it into a council of
ayatollahs, and we can only hope that the Republican Party will return
to being something worthy of an advanced and secular nation in the 21st
century.

Addendum - October 26, 2009: My attention to this Age of
Reason website has been pretty woeful over the last couple of years due
to a focus on revising and expanding my book, The
Jesus Puzzle. However, that work has now been completed and the
new book published. While it started out being envisioned as a simple
second edition of the original, it grew over time into something which
entailed much more research and material, and deserving of its own
title. Jesus: Neither God nor Man-- The Case for
a Mythical Jesus is almost three times the length of the
original book. And while the layout is similar and contains many
passages in common with its predecessor, the new depth of evidence and
argument presented justifies offering it as a separate work. The
original The Jesus Puzzle will be
maintained as a simpler version of my case as long as both continue to
find an audience. For information on the new book, see Jesus, Neither God nor Man.

New
Items

Commentaries

July 10, 2010: "What Madness Is This?" A
Review of the Film "AGORA"
A brilliant creation, telling the tragic story of Hypatia of Alexandria
and the fall of reason before dogma.Review by
E.D.

March 19, 2010: Does the Catholic Church Need a New Inquisition? (A
Satire)
As accusations of priestly sexual abuse of the young continue to come
fast and furious from around the world, are current preventive and
counter-measures adequate?Comment by
E.D.

February 1, 2010: Haiti, Pat Robertson, and Excuses for God
The inimitable televangelist, ever suffering from hoof-in-mouth
disease, explains the Haitian earthquake by blaming the Haitians and
absolving God.Comment by
E.D.

December 23, 2009: Santa, Satan and Sacred Cows
Various ends of a spectrum of symbols of good and evil. Letting
go of Santa, Satan and Jesus.Comment by
E.D.

December 1, 2009: 2012, Revelation, and other End-of-the-World MayhemThe Mayan concept and prediction of cyclical renewal
is about to be put to the test in late 2012, and along with it the long
Christian and western fixation on an apocalyptic overthrow of the
present world. Yet how can Jesus be returning if he was never here in
the first place?Comment by
E.D.

January 26, 2009: Recognizing Religion for what it isA short review of a new book by U.S. psychologist
Dr. Darrel W. Ray: The God Virus: How Religion
Infects our Lives and Culture. The road to a cure must begin
with diagnosing the illness.Comment by
E.D.

November 26, 2006:Two Champions of Reason and Science
Reviews of Letter to a Christian Nation by
Sam
Harris, and The God Delusion by Richard
Dawkins.Comment by
E.D.followed by:

Harper's FollyA response to the Harper's
magazine review of Richard Dawkins' The God
Delusion by Marilynne Robinson, a smug and pretentious
defamation of science and scientists by a not-so-subtle champion of
religion.Comment by
E.D.

October 1, 2006: GötterdämmerungHas the world finally reached a tipping point where
religion and competing gods are concerned?Comment by
E.D.

July 26, 2006:Are
evangelicals
living
in an asylum...or should they be committed to one?In evangelical churches around the nation,
Christians are celebrating the latest round of war in the Middle East
as a prelude to Armageddon.Comment by
E.D.

June 7, 2006: Which one of the following two articles is a joke?...And
for how long?A comment on two articles from the Internet: one a
report on Bush's Constitutional amendment proposal against gay
marriage, the other a report on a Republican convention in Texas.Comment by
E.D.

February 6, 2006: Deliver Us To EvilYet another sexual abuse scandal has surfaced in the
Catholic Church involving a high-ranking priest and young boys. What
are we doing to our children, and why doesn't the whole sordid business
come crashing down? Comment by
E.D.

August 28, 2005:The End of Faith?A review of one of the most powerful indictments of
religion ever published: Sam Harris' The End of
Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. Don't miss
this book.Comment by
E.D.

July 8, 2005:The
Elephant
in
the Room
Bob Geldoff and his Live 8 concert have been playing at the wrong club.
Is the blame for the Africas of the world being laid at the wrong door?Comment by
E.D.

July 1, 2005:
Of Priests and Prostates, Cabbages and Kings...
Musings on why we let religion and its representatives do what they do
to us.Comment by
E.D.

June 18, 2005:
"The way this country is going..." Should finding Jesus let you
off the hook in matters of Law & Order?Comment by
E.D.

March 25, 2005:Terri Schiavo and the Religious RightIs Terri Schiavo still "alive"? And who is being
served by the evangelical opposition to the long overdue death of her
body?Comment by
E.D.

March 6, 2005:
Resisting EvolutionIn the latest issue of Skeptical Inquirer, an
excellent critique of creationism and why the message isn't getting
through to creationists, by Dennis R. Trumble. A few excerpts and
comments.Comment by
E.D.

January
10, 2005:God and TsunamisThe agonized question "Where was God?" has echoed
around the world since the Asian tsunami disaster. Attempts in the
media to answer it have been less than satisfying—or honest.Comment by
E.D.

November 26, 2004: Are We Facing an American Taliban?A comment on Joe Bageant's "The Covert Kingdom" (November 26 under Articles
and Reprints: see right column)Comment by
E.D.

November 16, 2004:Invasion of the Mind Snatchers: What is Happening to
America?Thoughts on a CNN Special about the evangelical
community and its influence on the U.S. election.Comment by
E.D.

November
10,2004: "NYPD Blue" Finds God
Last night, in an uncharacteristic plot twist on TV's toughest cop
show, TV's toughest cop was visited by an 'angel' in the form of his
deceased former partner to learn that there is a God after all. Is
Steven Bochco caving in to the new political-religious atmosphere?Comment by
E.D.

Articles
and
Reprints

October 26, 2009: The Church's Tipping Point?
The scandals of priestly pedophilia and sexual abuse of children
continue to come fast and furious. Are we getting closer to a proper
response to such odious and seemingly endless iniquity?"Enough is
Truly Enough"

February 10, 2008:Two Indictments
"If Dante had given his Inferno another level, it would have been for
priests who prey on kids." With an appended short review of Peter de
Rosa's Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the
Papacy."Beyond
Betrayal"

July 1, 2007:Self-Fulfilling Prophecies?
Will Armageddon come about because some people believe in it? If you're
an American—or even if you're not—be prepared for the scariest thing
you've ever read."Bush, Mideast
Wars and End-Time Prophecy"

May 7, 2007:The
Dangers
of
Militant AtheismA recent editorial rant against "militant atheism"
in a Canadian
newspaper prompted a counter-voice of reason, an indicator of the
current turning of the tide against the privileged position of
religious belief."Those
Fanatical Atheists"

November 26, 2006:Are we finally getting tough on religion?A California forum on science and religion attended
by Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris pulled few punches in warning that
"the world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious
belief."Getting Tough
on Religion

February 6, 2006:The Banality of IgnoranceAt the latest version of the 'Scopes Monkey Trial'
in Dover, Pennsylvania, an array of witnesses for Intelligent Design
displayed a less than informed basis for their machinations to get
ID into the classroom. Commenting on excerpts from a Harper's magazine
account of the proceedings.God or Gorilla
in Dover

October 15, 2005: "The Politics of Ignorance"
A comment by Sam Harris widely posted on the Internet, plus another
quote from his book The End of Faith.The Politics of
Ignorance

August 28, 2005: "Religion Itself is the
Fount of Most Evil"Reprint of an article in the British "Sunday Herald"
of July 24, 2005,
following the London subway bombings. An excellent companion piece to
my review of Sam Harris' book The End of Faith:
Religion, Terror,
and the Future of Reason.Fount of Evil

June 29, 2005: And they shall be given Dominion over us all...The Dominionist wing of the Christian right is
gaining ascendancy in America. Chris Hedges at Harper's online recounts
his attendance at one of their conventions, where madness reigns.Feeling the Hate

June 18, 2005: And they wonder why we find religion so
scary...
When true believers rise in their rapture, will they leave a ruined
planet behind? A look at Bill Moyers' view as the "delusional" comes in
from the fringe to threaten the survival of us all. There Is No
Tomorrow

December 6, 2004: Scalia in shul: State must back religion
A frightening 'take' on the U.S. Constitution by Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia. This kind of twist would enable a majority minded
Supreme Court to impose just about anything of a religious nature on
the country. (Circulated recently on the Internet.)State Must Back
Religion - Scalia Opinion

November 26, 2004: The Covert Kingdom - Thy will be done as it is in TexasAn article by Joe Bageant, senior editor at the
Primedia History Group, Winchester, Virginia about the Christian
Reconstruction movement. Possibly the most powerful and the scariest
thing you've ever read on the Christian Right in America."The Covert
Kingdom" by Joe Bageant

November 22, 2004:It's Still Open Season on Atheists in this Country
A column in the St. Petersburg Times in
August says it all about being an atheist in America. Fear of
non-belief has become stronger, it seems, than any other prejudice —and
the only one that's still politically correct."Open Season on
Atheists" by Robyn Blumner

November 16, 2004:A Los Angeles Times article on the Erosion of Common Sense
Circulated on the Internet back in May, "Enlightenment dimming: Reason
and secularism under attack" by Francis Wheen sounds a warning call all
the more apparent and urgent following the re-election of George W.
Bush."Idiot Proof..."
by Francis Wheen

November 7, 2004:Will We Survive the Flood of Religious Disinformation?
Frank Zindler has kindly permitted me to reproduce a good portion of
his article "Disinforming the Faithful" which appeared in American Atheist, Winter 2003-2004. It reveals
not only the extent of the brainwashing that believers are subjected to
in evangelical Christian circles, but the strength and organization of
this movement dedicated to producing a flood of literature in support
of Christian propaganda and rationally untenable world views."Disinforming the Faithful" by
Frank R.Zindler

Age of Reason Reader
FeedbackSend E-mail to Earl
Doherty(There has now been a fair
amount of feedback on the new Age of Reason site, and most of it has
been posted, with comments in reply. Following that, feedback on my
review of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" which includes some
very interesting reaction to the film itself pertinent to the issues
discussed above.)

Vardis Fisher's "Testament of Man": An
in-depth
review
and commentary on the most important body of historical
fiction ever produced: Vardis Fisher's "Testament of Man." This
monumental series of eleven novels by an American rationalist author of
the mid-20th century traces the development of religious and moral
ideas from the dawn of intelligence two million years ago to the apex
of Christian power in the Middle Ages.

Now Available in Book Form - Revised and Expanded!Dare To Think For
Yourself :An
inspiring new book by American writer Betty J. Brogaard recounting her
personal journey from unquestioning religious faith to a lifestance of
rational inquiry and a naturalistic view of the world. Betty's
work, revised and expanded, is now available in book form. We
thank Betty for letting us feature her book on the Age of Reason
website for over a year and to publish comments on it, with her
responses, in a special Feedback. We wish her success, and urge all
those who were moved by "Dare to Think for Yourself" to consider adding
it to their library, or obtaining a copy for someone they know who
could benefit from it.
Available from: www.publishamerica.com
Click on the "Online Bookstore" tab, and type in the Search box: "Dare
to Think for Yourself"

Examines the conflict between science and religion, and
helps to dispel the
myths and superstitions that have long been used as an excuse for
political and religious extremism. Offers an easy-to-read step-by-step
explanation of natural evolution, extends the theory of evolution to
include the struggle for political power and the development of
advanced technology, unravels the true stories behind the formation of
the traditional religions, and explains why modern democratic values
must continue to replace traditional religious moral values.

From the"Final Summation"ofChallenging the Verdict: A Cross-Examination of Lee
Strobel's The Case for Christ

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Lee Strobel
concluded his book with a homily, and I would like to respond with one
of my own. He endeavored to show the consequences of an acceptance of
the
Case for Christ as he has presented it, the ‘evidence’ that Jesus is
the
Son of God, atoning Savior through blood sacrifice on the cross,
bestowing
by his death the grace of God for forgiveness and eternal life. Mr.
Strobel
offered the personal example of his own transformed life, the
inevitable
companion piece to that other kind of transformation in the next
world. There is no question that Christianity, like all religious
belief,
offers perceived benefits to its devotees. Otherwise, religion would
have
little appeal and would long since have died out. But like Mr.
Strobel’s
Case for Christ, those benefits are often based on a distortion or
wishful misreading of the evidence.

And they come at a price.

The believer is transformed because the faith on
which those benefits depend turns the real, knowable world
inside-out. It creates otherworld entities and dimensions of alleged
reality which
are unsupported by scientific and rational evidence. It draws the focus
of attention and energy away from the present world of day-to-day
existence
where we lead our actual lives, to a dimension which may well be pure
fantasy,
and thus the real world gets neglected, disparaged, distorted; it
becomes
populated with concepts which can only be detrimental to humanity’s
enlightenment.
Belief in angels and devils and personal savior gods has never produced
one iota of real human progress. Conviction of salvation comes attached
to required doctrines of faith, and not all are going to adopt those
doctrines;
many will have other, rival faiths of their own. Such differences
create
divisions between people, families, societies, nations; they have
formed
a long line of unbelievers, heretics, infidels, those in league with
evil
forces, leading to inquisition, witch hunts, religious wars.

Those required faith doctrines produce
a heightened and unhealthy sense of sin, guilt and fear, and an
alienation
from our physical selves. They create places of dreadful punishment,
whose
resident demons spill over into the present world, threatening,
torturing
the mind, distorting reality. Those doctrines impede scientific
advancement
and a proper understanding of the world, how it formed, evolved, how it
gave rise to ourselves; and we are deprived of the exhilaration at
perceiving
such an amazing history and development. They interfere with the
ability
to exercise our minds, our faculties for critical thinking, to hone our
own innate wisdom in creating ethical systems to arrive at beneficial
moral
behavior. When ethical conduct is based on divine fiat in hallowed,
petrified
writings, when human wisdom and evolving conditions are prevented from
exercising any role, morality’s rules become ossified, imposed, fearful
of change, unable to accommodate progress.

If commendable human behavior and the fulfillment
of individual and collective potential is our ultimate goal, there are
far more efficient ways of achieving such things than through a
collective
rush to irrational faith. If, on the other hand, the attainment of
personal
immortality, eternal life for each individual consciousness in some
heavenly
utopia, is the goal, then we may be grasping at the greatest unreality
and irrationality of all. Nothing in the observable universe suggests
that
such a goal is possible, or written into the scheme of things, much
less
that it might be desirable from the larger point of view. What the
observable
universe does suggest is that human happiness and fulfillment
may
indeed be achievable, but only through understanding ourselves and the
world we live in, accepting that we are all part of a naturalistic
universe,
and doing our best and wisest to operate in harmony with it. If, within
that context, it may be possible to perceive something of larger
significance,
of greater identity for the individual, the route to discovering such a
thing must lie in a fuller comprehension of our observable universe
through
reason and scientific investigation.

The Case for Christ does not lead
us in that direction. For this, and for the failings of the case
itself,
I ask the jury and the larger court of public judgment to set Mr. Lee
Strobel’s
own verdict aside, and bring us a step closer to entering upon an Age
of Reason.

INGERSOLL'S VOW

Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899) was a famous attorney
and orator whose
brilliant lectures drew thousands. As a political figure, he came close
to achieving the Republican party's nomination for governor of
Illinois,
but prejudice and intolerance denied him the opportunity because he was
an atheist.

When I became convinced that the universe is
natural—that
all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my
soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of
freedom.
The walls of my prison crumbled and fell, the dungeon was flooded with
light, and all the bolts, and bars, and manacles became dust. I was no
longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all
the wide world—not even in infinite space.

I was free—free to think, to express my thoughts—free
to live to my own ideal—free to use all my faculties, all my
senses—free
to spread imagination's wings—free to investigate, to guess and
dream and hope—free to judge and determine for myself—free
to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the "inspired" books that
savages have produced, and all the barbarous legends of the past—free
from popes and priests—free from all the "called" and "set apart"—free
from sanctified mistakes and holy lies—free from the fear of
eternal
pain—free from the winged monsters of the night—free from
devils, ghosts, and gods.

For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited
places in
all the realms of thought—no air, no space, where fancy could not
spread her painted wings—no chains for my limbs—no lashes
for my back—no fires for my flesh—no master's frown or threat—no
following another's steps—no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl, or
utter lying words. I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously,
faced all worlds.

And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with
thankfulness, and
went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers who gave their lives
for
the liberty of hand and brain—for the freedom of labor and thought—to
those who proudly mounted scaffold's stairs—to those whose flesh
was scarred and torn—to those by fire consumed—to all the
wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have
given freedom to the sons of men. And then I vowed to grasp the torch
that
they had held, and hold it high, that light might conquer darkness
still.